Why do nice guys finish last?
Why are we more attracted to muscle than brains?
Why are big gas-guzzling mean looking SUV so popular?
Why is there more violence and name-calling on TV than science and meaningful dialog?
Why do we spend more on military and law enforcement than education?

The same answer to these questions is the same answer to why cutting social programs rather than fixing them is such an easy platform to run on. It's easier to destroy than to build. It's easier to push someone down than to help someone up. It's easier to pick enemies than to pick friends.

You can't blame weak cowards for taking the path of least resistance. There was once strong opposition to putting guard rails on dangerous roads because they wanted "at risk" drivers off of those roads. No-child left behind only raised the bar so struggling "at risk" students would drop out sooner. If we can turn them into criminals while they are younger, they will have a better chance of self-destructing sooner. It's population control at it's best.

So let me cut these social programs. The bonus is that you get to keep all of your hard earned money. ...Oh ....Wait. I'm going to need most of that money back so I can jail and kill these people who needed those social programs. And if you don't want to pay for law enforcement or jails, support loosening gun control so these people will have easier access to killing each other.

We are just as barbaric as we were at any point in history. A millennium ago, they were just more honest with themselves about how mean they were. Todays mean-spirited culture can't even admit that it likes being mean. Instead of watching the bloodshed live in the colosseum, we watch the news footage on our plasma TVs we brought with the money from tax cuts.

We would rather get rid of its weak links than strengthen them. It's much easier especially if you are not one of those weak links. It's weaklings vs weak links.

Your thoughts?

Being nice is hard work, huh?

Good answer, KT. Especially the "hard work" double meaning (gawd I hate it when bush says that !)

I agree, it is harder to be nice than to be mean. Harder to share than to be selfish. Harder to be compassionate than self-absorbed.
And so what is outlined in the opening post is a good example of a society that has gotten fat and lazy. A signal of a society that is failing.

If we only listened to our kindergarten teachers...
there is truth in the old saying that everything you need to know, you learned in kindergarten.